The State of the Taco in White Plains

OK, so I got an interesting call a week or so ago asking if I wanted to guest column something for Westchester Magazine's EATER column/blog. I suggested doing a round up of taquerias in white plains and they, surprisingly agreed. You can read it here: http://westchestermagazine.com/ME2/di...

In short, my new favorite places for tacos in White Plains are (in order) are: Sunshine Deli (Lake St) and Mexico Lindo (Post Rd). I was tipped off to the former place by a posting here on chowhound a few months ago... it just took me a while to follow up! So thanks folks for all the collective posts over the years.

The Eater doesn't allow comments... and since chowhound is my real home, I thought I'd link to it for your reaction. Anyone have any different suggestions for great tacos in White Plains?

In doing this, I was reminded yet again how much finding a great taco around here is like shooting at a fast moving target. The tacos at one place could be drastically different day to day. Frustratingly so. But sunshine deli and mexico lindo were quite good each time I went. Plus the al pastor tacos were very good (now if only I could predict when the al pastor spits ran, I could time my lunch accordingly).

Anyhow, the good news is that good tacos can be find in White Plains. If I'm bringing my wife along, I'll still be going to Port Chester or New Rochelle, where you can get a broader variety of good dishes in a setting not quite so starkly hole in the wall-esque, but white plains isn't a mexican wasteland at least...

Great info adam. I'll have to check those places out - especially Sunshine and Lindo for the al pastor. I haven't tried any lengua tacos, always been skittish although I do eat Jewish deli tongue - guess it depends on what is part of the culture you were raised in - but your description of the ones in Mexico Lindo may just give me the chutzpah/cojones to try them out.

There were two places that I ate at that I didn't include. La Puebla Nueva and Mariachi Loco.

The problem with La Puebla wasn't that it was bad (the case with a lot at mariachi loco), it was just that none of their tacos were better than what I could get anywhere else. All were fairly mediocre. I've probably eaten there more than any other place since I've been going there now for 5 + years. But in all my recent visits, I haven't had a memorable taco. The decor is more inviting than some of the places I tried, but the tacos themselves just seemed very lacking. My other beef with the place is that I don't think it really knows how to be a mexican restaurant. I get the impression it's mexican from a dominican lens. It is, afterall, a Mexican-Carribean place.

But, if I went today, I may just have the best tacos of the bunch... frustrating!

About the paid ad thing... I can't say. they certainly didn't offer any guidance to this Eater thing. Nor, I don't think, did they to the article the reporter had interviewed me for back in August. But this kind of thing probably flies under their radar.

Having written for a several local papers, I've found that Westchester Magazine is one of the few local media outlets that actually DOES offer real reviews. A review doesn't mean calling up a new restaurant, announcing that you'll be writing a piece about them, and scrounging a free tasting/interview in exchange for media exposure. (Which is how 95% of the other county "reviews" happen.) It means multiple, totally anonymous visits (the high costs borne by the magazine -- not the writer), and the liberty for writers to openly discuss their findings--both positive and negative. In fact, speaking of local food writing, I can think of only two media outlets that offer their readers this service--the NYTimes Regional Section and Westchester Magazine.

It's the whole thing. Though for this I didn't really pay much attention to the salsa. I focused more on the filling.

I don't know that I've ever had a ground beef taco at a mexican restaurant. Ever. I could very well be mistaken, but the only ground beef concoction I've ever really had with real mexican food is picadillo, which is usually reserved for chile rellenos.

Nor have I ever had a hard-shell taco. There are some places that will deep fry their tortillas (Tacos dorado) but that is a different thing altogether. Cancun and mexico lindo sell tacos dorado, I believe. But the far more common taco in mexico is simply a good corn tortilla, soft and fresh. All of these places did just fine with the tortilla. If any had screwed that up, I wouldn't have been able to even try the rest.

Anyhow, hope that clarifies and hope one of these places has a taco you enjoy!

you must take your behind to el mexicano restaurant in norwalk...............22 wall st.........little hole in the wall.......undiscovered gem, if you will..............the mexican food is more authentic than "in mexico".........

OK, so I promise to stop belaboring the point, but I just have to talk about this...

I'm totally in love with Sunshine Deli. I mean, totally in love.

I went there for lunch again today to try out the huitlacoche quesadilla. And there, in front of me is a tray of pork in a deep red chile sauce, wrapped in banana leaves... cochinita pibil. I couldn't believe it. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but I haven't seen that ANYWHERE out here. So I ordered (with a friend) two cochinita pibil tacos, two al pastor tacos and a quesadilla with huitlacoche. Amazing. All of it.

If you haven't had a huitlacoche quesadilla, you really need to try it. Sunshine does theres the best way - with fresh masa, inside which they fill with the cheese (either quesillo or oaxacan, I wasn't sure), corn and huitlacoche (the black mushroom-y fungus that grows on corn). Then the fry the thing, top with crema, lettuce and avocado. The result is this slightly crisp quesadilla from which this amazing ink-black huitlacoche and cheese. Man, I'm in love.

And the al pastor... fresh from the spit, with cubed pineapple.

And the cochinita pibil tacos... they fry the tortillas lightly in the red oil from the pibil. Awesome.

Sorry for being a broken record. I am just excited and chowhound is my outlet.

bummer. What you had sounds right, with the exception of the cold pineapple. Al pastor, done right is spit roasted, then carved off the spit with the pineapple. The problem with places around here is that they don't get enough turnover so the spit actually starts to over cook the meat. So they take the whole thing off, then when someone orders, carve it off the spit.

IF don't right, that can still be good. Not as good, but it can still be good. But the cold pineapple makes me think they were cheating with that... just cutting off the meat from the spit, heating it up, and carving a cold pineapple with it. sort of defeats the purpose.

Thank you, I just wasn't sure about the dark red sauce, I didn't think you mentioned that when discussing an al pastor taco. I will most certainly try them again, my office is around the corner on Grand.

Adam, isn't the pineapple usually proudly displayed and kept warm atop the meat that's cooking on the spit? It looks like a corona or a "crown" way up there on a vertical spit. That pineapple is so delicious when served *hot* !!! ... I wouldn't want it any other way.

yeah, that's how they are supposed to be. But in both Mexico Lindo and Sunshine Deli, you can't see the spit at all - it's in the back.

That said, once the meat is cooked and they take the meat of the spit (again, because they don't have good turnover), they probably take the pineapple off. Or, they just cook the pineapple separately. Not sure, frankly.

I hit Sunshine last night and had the some of the best bistek tacos ever. Unfortunately their spicy pork tacos were not up to par. I'll try the al pastor next time. For spicy pork I usually go to California Tex-Mex (ignore the "California Tex" in the name because there's nothing Cali or Tex about it) on Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford.

I think she said something carnitas then realized my Spanish is as good as useless. So she said spicy pork. It's strips of pork that's got a bit of reddish color to it. If it wasn't so dry it might've been decent.

Adam, I asked you about White Plains places in another post and here is all the information! Being that you are an L.A. transplant yourself, are there any places in the region here similar to Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks? Sounds like Sunset Grill is more of a sit down place?

I don't know casa vega, unfortunately. But if you are looking for a nicer sit down, I think this is an area where there aren't a lot of good options, frankly, with the exception of Sunset Grill, probably.

I say probably, because I still haven't eaten there, so I can't confirm. But folks seem to like it, they certainly strive for authenticity and they are a nice sit down kind of place. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether I should go there... I just always end up at the taquerias to get my fix.